A proper dental hygiene routine is essential for maintaining good oral health.
Practices such as brushing twice daily, rinsing your mouth with antibacterial mouthwash, and flossing once a day are what ensure that food particles don’t build up in your mouth and lead to plaque and bacteria growth.
Flossing is very important for removing food debris and plaque from areas of the mouth that cannot be reached with a toothbrush (between the teeth, underneath the gums, and back teeth).
Flossing is, however, only effective when it is done correctly.
So, in order to achieve the best outcome, you will need to avoid the following flossing mistakes.
Flossing at the Wrong Time
It is best to include flossing in your nighttime routine rather than during the day. This is because saliva production tends to slow down at night, leaving your mouth with less liquid to flush away bacteria while you are asleep.
Flossing right before bedtime ensures that you are going to sleep with teeth that are as clean as possible.
Flossing After Brushing
If you want fluoride from your toothpaste to have better contact with your teeth, then you need to avoid flossing after you brush.
Starting your routine with flossing ensures that you get rid of any debris or food particles that might be stuck between your teeth (preventing direct contact with fluoride). This improved contact with fluoride will provide your teeth with further protection against cavities.
Using the Wrong Type of Floss
Just as there are different types of toothpaste available on the market, there are also many varieties of dental floss on the market to suit your different needs.
Some of the common types of dental floss include; waxed and unwaxed floss, thread floss, flavored and unflavoured floss, PTFE floss, tape floss (dental tape), super floss, floss picks, natural and biodegradable floss, flossing aids like water flossers, flossing sticks, and dental floss holders.
The right choice of dental floss boils down to your personal preferences and needs. Talk to your dentists about recommending the right floss for you during your next visit.
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Being too Rough
If you notice that flossing always seems to be too painful for you, it is most likely because you are being too rough. Avoid snapping the floss between your teeth, as this will only cause it to hit your gums too hard and lead to pain.
Always insert the floss gently, and for those interdental spaces that are tightly packed, using a thinner floss is recommended.
Not Being Thorough Enough
Proper flossing involves a lot more than simply inserting a floss between your teeth and pulling it out.
You will need to follow certain steps. First is to make sure that you have enough floss (about 18 inches of floss). This will ensure that you can easily reach the spaces between your back teeth. It also ensures that you do not use the same section of floss for your entire teeth.
In addition to moving the floss along the sides of the teeth, you will also need to glide the floss about 2-3 mm beneath the gumline to remove bacteria. The four teeth at the very back of your mouth should also be flossed even though there are no teeth next to them.
If you are wearing an orthodontic appliance like braces or bridges, you will also need to floss around them.
Flossing Without a Plan
As you floss, you need to know what order you are going to floss your teeth in.
This ensures that you don’t get confused and end up missing some teeth. An easy way to do this is to start from the upper right, then move to the upper left before coming down to the bottom left and finally to the bottom right.
Quitting When Your Gums Bleed
It is not uncommon for your gums to bleed if they haven’t been flossed in a while. So long as you are not being too rough, a little bleeding from flossing your teeth is normal.
The bleeding is usually a result of the body sending more blood to the gums to fight off any accumulating plaque. After a few days, you should be able to floss normally without experiencing any bleeding.
Conclusion
Flossing is an excellent way to get rid of plaque and bacteria in the mouth. However, it is only effective when done correctly. Avoiding the above mistakes will ensure that you get the best outcome from flossing your teeth.